Almost There
by Bucky Smith
Summary: Was it a hallucination? Unfortunately, no. Was it a weird, psychedelic dream? That would be a "no", too. Was Sofía Marquez really seeing aliens the size of small buildings? Much to her dismay, yes. [Optimus x human!OC] [Takes place during the first TRANSFORMERS movie. Sorry for the terrible summary.]
1. Chapter I

**Chapter I**

* * *

Sofía Marquez was, predictably, an average teenager. She went to school and church, she hung out with friends, she did all the things kids her age did. She complained about teachers and school, she did her homework at the last possible second before it was due, and she sometimes studied for whatever exams her teachers gave. And thanks to her parents, Sofía received almost everything she's wanted growing up. Her Venezuelan parents, Rafael and Valeria, were hardworking and dedicated individuals. They took parenting very seriously, which was why they came to America after Valeria found out she was pregnant. They wanted Sofía to have a better life, and they decided to do something about it. The couple were also devout Catholics, which meant that Sofía was raised in the faith, as well. Unlike her parents, however, Sofía wasn't as dedicated to the religion as they were. She believed in it to an extent, but part of her had to wonder how much of it was true. Sofía was very familiar with the Bible, she knew which verses belonged to which parts, she knew the names of all the important people - but when it came to God Himself, she wasn't 100% sure. If there really _was_ a God, how come no one ever saw Him? How come He only made Himself known to very specific people? That didn't really make much sense to Sofía.

In the end, however, Sofía Marquez knew better than to voice her doubts. Rafael and Valeria took the Catholic religion _very_ seriously, so if they found out their only daughter was questioning their beliefs, it would end badly. Sofía understood the importance of when to voice something and when to keep her mouth shut.

When it came to school, there was honestly nothing to really talk about. Sofía wasn't the smartest kid in her class, but she wasn't the dumbest, either. She got steady, average grades. The lowest grade she ever got was probably a D+, but that was because she wasn't really trying. Rafael and Valeria always voiced how they wanted Sofía to do well in school, and how they wanted her to be successful in life. Sofía did take her education seriously, just not as seriously as her parents would've liked.

When it came to friends, Sofía had a few scattered here and there. She didn't have a _whole_ lot, but she did have a fair amount. Sofía didn't _need_ a whole lot of friends in her life, she was comfortable with the ones she had. With the few friends she had, they'd hang out after school if they didn't have a whole lot to do, or just go to each others' houses. Sofía's parents didn't mind some of the people she brought over, but they did voice their dissatisfaction with a few. So the Marquez household wasn't really occupied by many of Sofía's friends. It didn't matter, though. For Sofía, not having all of her friends over all the time wasn't the end of the world in her book.

Besides, hanging out at her friends' houses always seemed way more fun.

 **-A.T.-**

"Did you get the homework done last night?" Sam Witwicky looked Sofía's way, his brows furrowed in worry and his mouth set in a thin line. Sofía and Sam knew each other since middle school, having been best friends ever since Sofía punched a bully in the face for shoving Sam. That had been the _only_ instance where Sofía got in trouble at school. Since then, Sam and Sofía had been best friends, almost inseparable. Sadly, that meant people would get the wrong idea about their friendship. Countless people had started rumors assuming that Sam and Sofía were dating, considering that seemed to be the only acceptable outcome for a boy and a girl who seemed close. Since they knew there'd be no convincing the students who believed it otherwise, Sam and Sofía decided to just ignore the rumors. They weren't going to allow a bunch of stupid students to ruin the friendship they had.

"I got the first half of it done," Sofía whispered. It was the middle of first period, which meant that Sam and Sofía could discreetly try and get whatever homework they didn't finish done. "What about you?"

"Not much," he responded quietly. "What'd you get for. . . .?"

"Ms. Marquez, Mr. Witwicky, is there something you'd like to share with the class?" The teacher, Mrs. Williamson, looked between the friends with an arched brow and an annoyed look on her face. A couple snickers could be heard throughout the class.

"I just had a quick question about something," Sofía said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

With a frustrated huff, Mrs. Williamson went back to her lesson. Sam and Sofía decided it'd be best to finish their homework in silence.

 **-A.T.-**

After the bell rang for the end of first period, Sofía waited for Sam outside of class. He was talking to one of his other friends about something and she didn't want to intrude. Sam and Sofía tended to keep their other friends separate from each other, not out of any ill feelings they had with their other companions interacting, but because their other friends just didn't show any interest in getting to know one another. So whenever Sam was talking to another person he knew, Sofía would try and give them some space so they didn't think she was eavesdropping.

Right when Sofía was about ready to leave for her next class, Sam rushed out. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't think it'd take that long."

"It's fine," Sofía responded, giving a halfhearted shrug. "I _was_ about ready to leave you, though." Sam only nodded in response. "You OK? You're acting weirder than usual."

With a sigh, a slight scowl came on Sam's face. "You know how I'm trying to raise money for my car funds?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well my dad said that I need to start raising my grades, too." The scowl in Sam's face deepened.

"Sounds reasonable if you ask me." A frown can on Sofía's face. "What's the problem with that?"

"I have to get at least _three_ A's in three classes before my dad even _considers_ gettkng me a car," he exclaimed. "How am I supposed to do that?"

With a snort, Sofia shook her head. "Study, for one," she said.

"That's hilarious coming from you."

"Yet I still managed a good grade on the Spanish test," Sofía snarked.

"That's not fair and you know it," Sam replied, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Not my fault I learned Spanish before English." A smirk came across Sofía's face. "Benefits of Venezuelan parents."

"There's German taught here, too," Sam muttered. "You could've taken that."

"I could've," Sofía teased, "but I wanted to see you struggle."

"We're _way_ off topic," he sighed. "If I asked you to help me study for the Spanish midterm, would you?"

"What grade do you have in the class?" Sofía asked.

"A D."

A grimace came on Sofía's face. "You'll need Jesus to help raise _that_ grade," she muttered. Sam scowled at her. "Fine, but you'll have to really step it up, OK?" When the bell rang, the two agreed on a time and place before hurrying to their classes. First period was the only class they shared together, but they'd sometimes see each other in the halls; which meant they'd be able to discuss the study plans further. Besides, it's not like they have anything better to do.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **What do you guys think? Did I put in too much information or not enough? How can I improve? Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

 **Nothing in the TRANSFORMERS universe belongs to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in.**

 **If you've got ideas on how to improve my characters or my interpretation of the canon characters, don't hesitate to PM me or leave a review. If you've got ideas for subplots or OCs, PM me or leave a review! I'd be happy to add them in.**

 **Thanks a bunch.**

 **Bucky**


	2. Chapter II

**Chapter II**

* * *

Trigonometry, the one thing Sofía just couldn't understand. Well, math _in_ _general_ was something Sofía couldn't understand, but trigonometry was on a completely different level. The equations and graphs and all the numbers and symbols and terms - it was something that went right over her head. Like previously mentioned, however, that road block remained firm with all types of math for Sofía. She barely managed to scrape by in basic algebra class. Not only that, but she had to get some serious tutoring in place when it came to geometry. It was a complete mess for her, which was why it was so surprising when she made it to her current math class. It didn't seem like any amount of tutoring would help her comprehend the class. And no matter how many times Sofía asked her teacher, Mr. Sawyer, to explain what was going on, she still wouldn't know what to make of it. It was all too much.

That was why Sofía sat in the middle of class, looking at the whiteboard in confusion and mild mortification. The equations Mr. Sawyer had on the board seemed _way_ too complicated, despite his very detailed explanation on how to set it up.

 _How can anyone understand this?_ she'd think, looking around quickly. All the other students either looked really engaged in what was going on, or they just seemed too tired and disinterested to care. Sofía, on the other hand, was baffled. Unsure. Frazzled. The numbers and letters and different concepts of how to set things up and what abbreviated word goes where in equations/graphs were doing her no justice.

 _Who was the jerk who thought letters needed to be in math?_ she'd think, on feeling a familiar sense of anger bubble up in her. After the confusion ebbed away, anger and irritation would take its place. Those emotions usually stemmed from her self-consciousness, her embarrassment of thinking she wasn't as smart as everyone else. As much as Sofía wanted to think she was an average student, it seemed like math was the one thing holding her back. Sofía _had_ to keep a steady GPA so she wouldn't get in trouble with the school board. Her parents had received several phone calls and letters from teachers and school officials about how _concerned_ they were about Sofía's academic success.* About how she wasn't doing as well as the other students, how her GPA was lower than an average student's, etc., etc., etc. That only seemed to add to Rafael's and Valeria's determination to have their daughter do well in school.

Which only seemed to stress Sofía out even more.

Letting out a sigh, Sofía shook her head as she looked down at her notebook. It was pretty much blank, considering she wasn't sure what to write down. She attempted to copy the equations on the board, but that wouldn't help her know what was going on. Sofía had tried talking to the teacher multiple times after class to get help, but Mr. Sawyer wasn't a very friendly guy, so he always brushed off her claims and chastised her for not studying enough. That was one of the main reasons she wasn't doing well in the class - the teacher refused to help her. Or maybe she was looking for an excuse. Who really knows?

"Ms. Marquez, do you know the answer to this equation?" Mr. Sawyer's voice snapped Sofía out of her thoughts. She'd barely been paying attention to the lesson, so she didn't know what was being said. So of _course_ Sawyer would want her to answer some question he had.

Looking up at the whiteboard, Sofía studied an equation Mr. Sawyer was standing by. Naturally, it was a very complicated looking one. With all the numbers, fractions, and letters, Sofía felt as if she were looking at a foreign language. Frowning, she simply shrugged. "I don't know," she said. The snickers throughout the class made her shoulders tense up.

"You don't _know_?" Mr. Sawyer repeated, a hint of a mocking undertone in his voice.

"That's what I said," Sofía responded. "I don't know how to answer this. I've come to you for help on things like this, but you refuse to do your job."

A few murmurs from the other students got Mr. Sawyer's eyes flickering around the class. He looked a little flushed, obviously embarrassed by her call-out. Usually Sofía didn't talk back to teachers, but her trigonometry teacher was a particular kind of asshole. He had the attitude of someone who saw themselves above everyone else. He held himself in a way that gave off _way_ too much pride for someone who taught at a high school. Sofía thought that maybe Mr. Sawyer wanted to see himself working a better job, but his position at the high school was as good as it was going to get. If that was the case, he was going to make the best of it. Which, from what Sofía could guess, meant treating a bunch of teenagers like crap.

"I'd like to have a word with you after class, Sofía," Mr. Sawyer said, his tone clipped.

 **-A.T.-**

By the time the end of class rolled around, Sofía hung out in the classroom while the other kids scurried out the door. She watched them talk and laugh with one another, shoving other students out of the way to get out. It was the end of the day, everyone was ready to go home or hang out. Or maybe go to work, for those who had jobs.

Mr. Sawyer, however, lingered near the front of the class. His narrowed eyes were watching the students hurry out while occasionally looking over at Sofía. She was normally quiet in class; never talking unless she really had to. Why she chose to speak out against his authority was beyond him. Once the class was empty aside from Mr. Sawyer and Sofía, he walked over to where she was sitting. "I don't appreciate how you spoke to me today," he told her, his voice firm and unwavering. "It was disrespectful."

"Considering what I said was pretty much true, I don't see how it's considered 'disrespectful'," Sofía responded. "You won't help me when I ask you for it. How am I supposed to understand the class if the teacher refuses to do his job?"

"I've worked with this school for many years," Mr. Sawyer said in a clipped voice. "I'm respected among many of my peers. I've been told I'm a rather good teacher. Unfortunately, it's students like _you_ that make it difficult."

"Aside from today, what else have I done wrong?" Sofía glared up at him. "I come to class every day, I never interrupt, I do any group work you assign - what do I do wrong?"

There was a brief moment of silence while it was being thought over. "You don't participate enough in class," he blurted. "And your comment today was uncalled for."*

Looking up at him for a moment longer, Sofía gathered her things into her backpack, zipped it up, and slung it over her shoulder. "I don't have time for this," she sighed. "Look, if you're going to get upset that I called you out over something _you_ did, don't waste my time trying to shift the blame."

"I'll contact your parents to let them know what happened today," he called as she walked out the door.

"Go ahead," she responded. "I don't care."

When she finally made it out of the classroom, she was surprised to see Sam standing there. He looked a little startled, looking at her worriedly. "What happened?" he said quietly.

"Nothing important, trust me," she said. "Let's go. You still up for studying?"

With a nod, Sam and Sofía made their way out of the school.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **These first couple chapters are a bit rocky, I know. Hopefully I'll be able to do some revisions down the road, once I have a steady pace for this. But if you'd like to leave some constructive criticism on what I have so far, that'd be appreciated. I like to think that what the reviewers think could use improvement is super important.**

 **The TRANSFORMERS universe does not belong to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for an OC or a subplot, PM me or leave a review.**

 **This story will take place a few months before the start of the first movie, just because I don't want to go jumping into any action just yet. I kinda like stories where it allows characters to have a bit of normalcy before any weird action starts taking place.***

 **Let me know about any improvements!**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bucky**


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